Seventh Year Changes
by rosemaryblues
Summary: LJ. It’s that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair! My First Fic! New Chapter is Up.
1. Prologue

* * *

Seventh Year Changes  
  
Summary: It's that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair!  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish it was. But it aint.   
  
Prologue  
  
Platform 9 ¾ was always cheerful on the first day of September, but for some reason, this year, Lily Evans found the collection of parents hugging their children goodbye extremely sad. It was her final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and she realised this would be her final time at the platform. She sighed heavily. She was going to miss it all so much. Everything, from shopping in Diagon Alley for school supplies to the beginning of year feast in the Great Hall and even the exams. For this time next year, she realised with a feeling of horror, she would not be standing at platform 9 ¾. Probably never again, except if she had children and would guide them onto the train for the first time.   
  
Tears began to form in her green eyes but she was jolted out of her teary thoughts when she caught sight of her best friend Emily White, whom she hadn't seen since the end of school. Emily had been holidaying in France all summer, and was looking tanned and healthy. She was talking animatedly to her cousin, Remus Lupin, who in comparison looked very pale and peaky. Their parents checked their watches and hugged both of them fiercely; tears were forming in Remus' mother's eyes, and they departed through the barrier back into Kings Cross Station.   
  
Lily waved at Emily, whose face lit up when she spotted her best friend. Lily ran over to Emily, who pulled her into an enveloping hug. "Oh it's so good to see you Lily! I've missed you so much! How was your summer? Great I expect, seeing as you always have a great time. We have so much to catch up on; France was the most wonderful place… I have so much to tell you!"  
  
Lily laughed. "Whoa, Emily, let me breathe!" Emily grinned, and pulled away from her.  
  
Remus smiled at Lily and extended his hand for her to shake. "Congratulations on making Head Girl, Lily. Emily told me." Lily rolled her eyes and laughed nervously.  
  
"How long have we known each other, Remus? _Seven years_. It's okay, we **can** hug!"  
  
And she awkwardly wrapped her arms around Remus, who, although quite startled, hugged her back. "Don't be embarrassed about last year," he whispered in her ear. "If you want me to forget it, I will."   
  
As they pulled apart, Lily mouthed 'thanks,' and smiled at him.   
  
"Have you seen Alice yet?" Lily said, ignoring the questioning glace she received from Emily.  
  
"She's over there," replied Remus, his head nodding in the direction of two people, a girl with light brown hair and a cheerful-faced guy, both of whom seemed very awkward and were chatting nervously.  
  
"Is that guy who I think it is?" said Emily, a smile appearing on her face.   
  
"Yep," said Remus, grinning and nodding at the same time. "Frank Longbottom."  
  
Lily and Emily grinned. But their happiness was only heightened when Frank leaned over to Alice and kissed her on the lips.   
  
Lily and Emily erupted into a fit of giggles. "Finally," squealed Emily, who was almost jumping up and down on the spot due to happiness.  
  
"Well… we don't want to interrupt them, do we?" said Lily, who was beaming. "Let's go find a compartment on the train. See you at school, Remus."  
  
Remus smiled at them, and spotting his three best friends; James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, wandered over to them.

* * *

"Goodbye Mum!"  
  
"See you later, Mrs. Potter."  
  
Joanna Potter kissed her son and her adopted son on each of their foreheads. "Goodbye boys. Have a wonderful time, and study hard! Try not to get up to too much mischief, and most of all, have fun!"  
  
She hugged them both, and trying to hide the tears that had formed in her eyes, walked back through the barrier.   
  
"Sorry about that. Mum can be very embarrassing at times," said James, wiping the lipstick which was now on his forehead.   
  
"James," said Sirius with a sad smile, "I don't mind in the slightest. Your mum is magnificent. She deserves an award for being such a great person."  
  
"Hello James, hello Sirius," said a small voice. The two seventeen-year-olds turned around to see the podgy, pink-faced boy they knew was Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"Oh, morning Wormtail," said Sirius, not looking at the round boy, but around at the other groups of people standing together.   
  
"How was your summer, guys?" asked Peter.  
  
"Who cares?" said Sirius quickly, looking slightly upset. Peter went silent. James wondered what was wrong with Sirius. He followed his friend's direction of view, and noticed he was looking very peculiarly at a trio of people. A tall woman with expensive looking black robes and a look of superiority on her face was straightening her son's Slytherin robes. A man, who was staring disdainfully at two girls James knew to be Muggle-born, patted his son on the back. Not the friendliest of goodbyes, James thought, raising his eyebrows. But who were they?  
  
James looked at the son, and recognised him instantly. Regulus Black. Sirius' brother. So the two adults had to be Sirius' parents. James had never met them, but knew they had to be bad; his best friend had run away when he was sixteen because he had had enough of them.   
  
He was about to say something comforting when Sirius seemed to shake off the gloominess that had befallen him and said cheerfully; "Where's Moony?"  
  
"I saw him chatting to his cousin before," said James, casting a sideways glance at his best friend. "You know the one; pretty, lots of blonde hair, wears glasses for reading, adores that Muggle band the Beatles, best friends with Lily Evans and despises you more than anyone on the planet."  
  
"Ah," said Sirius, grinning. "Emily White."  
  
"See, there they are." James pointed at the tawny haired boy who was talking to a girl with frizzy blonde hair. They were both hugged by each other's parents, and then by their own. When the adults departed, James was about to yell out "Oi Moony!" when none other than Lily Evans ran up to the pair and hugged Emily.   
  
Sirius, noticing the longing look in his best friend's eyes, rolled his own and shook his head. "Sorry, mate, but you have less of a chance of getting with her than I do of…" he trailed off, thinking of something ridiculous. "…getting sentenced to life in Azkaban for the murder of little Peter here."  
  
James was about to reply with a snide remark, but the words died in his throat as he saw Lily wrap her arms around none other than Remus; who at first looked shocked, but soon relaxed and very suspiciously whispered something into Lily's ear.   
  
James scowled.   
  
Sirius laughed. "Well… I didn't see that one coming. Never knew he had it in him, old Moony. Don't worry, Prongs, it won't last… She'll get pissed off that he disappears for a couple of days every month and dump him."  
  
Lupin and Lily pulled apart, and James exhaled the breath he had been holding in his throat. "I'm sure it's nothing," he said, mentally shaking himself. Remus would never betray him like that. And even if he did, Remus was smart; he wouldn't do it in the open, where the entire school was hanging around.  
  
"So," said Sirius, grinning at his flustered best friend. "You want to fill Wormtail in on the tricks we've got up our sleeves for the Slytherins this year?"  
  
"Uh… yeah, okay," James muttered, as Remus began to wander over to the three.

* * *

On the Hogwarts Express, Lily and Emily sat in a compartment they had found at the end of the train. They shut the door and Lily had launched into a story about her summer.   
  
Emily was only half listening to Lily, who was talking about her awful sister's new fiancée, Vernon Dursley. Emily was thinking about the conversation had been having with her cousin only a few minutes ago.   
  
They had made a decision while on holiday. They were going to set Lily up with James. Her holiday with her family in France had been fun, but she and Remus had spent most of the time talking about their friends. And they had come to the conclusion that James and Lily were very well suited, and Lily needed to know that; because they would make such a good couple.   
  
So they each had decided to do something for the sake of love. Remus was going to deflate James' head a little, and Emily was going to try and show Lily that James was actually a decent fellow.   
  
"…And he's this enormous guy with a red face and twelve chins! I thought even Petunia could do better than that! I mean, I'd probably prefer James Potter to him, and THAT'S saying something!"  
  
Emily smiled at her friend. "He's not that bad, you know, Lily."  
  
"Who, Vernon?"  
  
"No! James!"  
  
Lily looked at her friend. "Not that bad?" she asked incredulously, "You how much of a big-headed, arrogant, nasty, sleazy, annoying, spiteful, conceited, stupid git he is!"  
  
"But..."  
  
"But what? He's awful! He goes around hexing people because he feels like it, messing up his hair so he looks like he's just finished a game of Quiddich, chatting up girls, and teasing anyone he thinks is lower than him!"  
  
Emily sighed. How in Merlin's name was she going to set them up?

* * *

So, how was it? This is my first fanfic, so please be kind! :o) 


	2. Squeals and Confrontations

Seventh Year Changes  
  
Summary: It's that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair!  
  
Disclaimer: It's not mine. Trust me. If it was Sirius would still be alive.

* * *

Chapter 1- Squeals and Confrontations   
  
Lily and Emily were still arguing about James when their good friend Alice Fullarton hurried into the compartment.  
  
Her hair was slightly messy, her lipstick was smudged, and her robes were a little more crumpled than usual. Emily and Lily exchanged a look. "Hi," she said, wiping off her smudged lipstick. "Sorry, I…er…got held up."  
  
"Don't you mean you got felt up?" asked Lily, which caused her and Emily to burst into a fit of giggles.  
  
"What?" said Alice, trying to look surprised.  
  
"Oh, come off it Alice," said Emily, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes from laughing. "We know you were snogging Frank Longbottom."  
  
"Which I might add," said Lily, grinning, "was long overdue."  
  
Alice, who was already quite flustered, turned a deep shade of magenta.   
  
"Yeah, how long have you been in love with Frank, what, five years?" asked Emily.  
  
"Actually, this is my seventh," said Alice, who was smiling wistfully, and staring off into space. "Ever since I bumped into him on the train and dropped my packet of Every Flavour beans all over him, I've been in love with Frank."  
  
Lily beamed. "So what did you say to him to commence the pash fest?"  
  
Alice blushed, if possible, even more so than she already was. "Well, actually we bumped into each other in Diagon Alley. He asked whether he could buy me a Butterbeer, and we sat down in the Leaky Cauldron, I know, not the most romantic of places, and we had this long chat about… stuff."  
  
"What kind of stuff?" asked Lily, leaning in and wiggling her eyebrows.  
  
"Oh," said Alice, who was still looking as though she was on cloud nine. "Nothing phenomenal… Quiddich and school and wondering what the N.E.W.Ts will be like. You know; pointless banter. And then we get into this chat about how much we're gonna miss Hogwarts and our first impressions of it, and he says he remembers me from back in first year."  
  
By this point Emily and Lily were almost falling off the edge of their seats. "Really?" asked Lily, who was intently listening; so much so her mouth was open.  
  
"Yeah, and he says the cutest thing; 'I remember how you spilt those jelly beans on me. I couldn't get you out of my head.'"  
  
"Oh my god…"  
  
"And then we walk to Platform 9 ¾ together, all the while he's saying these really nice things to me, and we get there…" She paused, taking a long, deep sigh.   
  
"AND?!" demanded both of them at once.  
  
"And he says; 'well, if I don't do it now I'll spend the whole time this year wishing I had.' And then he leans in and kisses me!"  
  
The students in the compartments next to theirs jumped as they heard the loud squeals emanating from Emily and Lily.   
  
"I'm so happy for you, Alice!" said Lily.  
  
"Oh, this is a great way of starting out our seventh year!" said Emily.  
  
"I know…" said Alice "And I don't think I'll ever be able to stop smiling! I'm just so-"  
  
But she was interrupted by their compartment door opening.  
  
"If you wouldn't mind, could you please restrain yourself from squealing for a moment?" the cold, snooty voice of Narcissa Black said. She was standing in the doorway, her nose tilted into the air as if it had dogs droppings stuck underneath it. "I'm beginning to think this compartment is full of tortured pigs." As she said this she glanced at Alice and sneered. Her younger sister Bellatrix, who was standing next to her, sniggered.   
  
"Good morning Narcissa," said Lily, in a sugary sweet voice so fake it almost made Alice and Lily cringe. "Have you heard the news? I'm Head Girl."  
  
Narcissa's face didn't change, but in her eyes flickered something that looked like contempt. "Well, I never would've known it. Old Dumbledore must be going senile, making a…" she lowered her voice, so it could only just be heard, "_mudblood_ Head Girl."  
  
Lily's fake smile faded. She had known Narcissa would say something like that. But it didn't make it any less horrible.  
  
"Come on, Bella," said Narcissa, who was looking very satisfied with herself, "Let's go and find Lucius."   
  
After they had left, Emily launched into her usual anti-pureblood rant. "I can't believe that… that… revolting, nasty, horrible, repulsive, beastly, malicious… you know; there aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe her! She is _such_ a cow! And by the way, YOU Lily Evans are by far the best witch at Hogwarts! You always top Narcissa's grades; I've certainly never seen you get anything less than an 'outstanding.' And anyway, these days the Blacks are just about the only 'true' purebloods left. And the only way they stay 'pure' is by marrying their cousins! They are a bunch of incestuous beasts! And you, Lily, are** not** particularly nasty to the Slytherins. I mean, you even stand up for Snape-"  
  
"Yeah, but that's only when he's being picked on by Potter and his cronies," said Lily fairly.  
  
"But I just don't get it! WHY DO THEY THINK THEY ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE?!"  
  
Lily smiled. "Probably all the marrying of relatives gets to their heads."  
  
"How does my cousin stand hanging around with a pureblood?" sighed Emily.  
  
"Who, Sirius Black?" asked Alice.   
  
"Yeah," said Emily, "That arrogant, sleazy git"  
  
"Sirius is probably less of a pureblood, at heart anyway, than me. He hates his family, and ever since he was sorted into Gryffindor, they've hated him back. They've basically disowned him."  
  
"Oh, yeah," said Emily. "That would explain why he ran away last year and moved to James Potter's house."   
  
"Really?" asked Lily, interested to know why anyone would want to run away to live with James Potter.   
  
"Oh, yeah," said Emily. "Remus mentioned it while we were on holiday in France."  
  
"So," said Lily, "How was your holiday? You haven't told us yet, and as you said before; you are dying to tell me what happened!"  
  
Emily laughed. "Well…"

* * *

Meanwhile, the four self proclaimed 'Marauders' sat in a compartment near the end of the Hogwarts Express. They had been chatting about what they had planned for the Slytherins this year, but now their conversation had come to a lull.   
  
Sirius, in an attempt to kick start the conversation once more, said; "I'm surprised you didn't get Head Boy, Moony. You definitely have the grades. And your behaviour… well… you're never in detention with me and Prongs."   
  
"Oh," said Remus, sighing, "I wouldn't be able to perform the tasks of Head Boy anyway, seeing as I go missing once every month."  
  
"Who is Head Boy, then?" asked Peter.  
  
"Amos Diggory," said Sirius, puffing up his chest and doing his best impression of the popular prefect, which sent Peter into a fit of giggles. "He has the stupid badge, I saw him polishing it before."  
  
"And guess who's Head Girl?" said Remus, looking straight at James.  
  
"Who?" James wasn't very interested in what Remus had to say; he was still annoyed at him for the hug. The image of Remus whispering in Lily's ear was there every time James looked at his friend.  
  
"Lily Evans." Something about the way Remus said her name made James want to throttle him.  
  
"Oh," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Good for her, I guess."  
  
Sirius gasped in the manner of a Soap Opera character; "Don't tell me you've decided not to go after the love of your life anymore?!"  
  
"Oh, no, it's not that."   
  
When he didn't elaborate, Remus looked at him questioningly. "What's the matter, James?"  
  
"Nothing," he almost snapped. He was very unconvincingly trying to look casual.   
  
Sirius looked at the two and grinned. "Prongs here is angry with you, Moony, because he saw you hugging Lily Evans," he said bluntly. Remus looked mortified.   
  
James sighed and closed his eyes. Why did Sirius have to be so direct about everything?  
  
"Me and Lily-" started Remus, but was quickly cut off by James.  
  
"It's cool if you two are, you know… seeing each other," said James, mentally reminding himself to hex Sirius later on for putting him in such an awkward situation.   
  
"But we're not!" said Remus exasperatedly.  
  
"Oh, don't try and hide it," said Sirius, who looked as though the entire situation was one big joke. "We saw you with your flirty whispers."  
  
"No, no," said Remus quickly, ignoring Sirius' grin. "I was…thanking her for helping me out with my homework last year."   
  
"So that's what you call it," said Sirius, who looked close to bursting with laughter. "You know, I thought you would've at least come up with a more original lie!"  
  
"It was nothing James," pleaded Remus. "I swear, I was just being friendly. And she hugged me, not the other way around."  
  
"Yeah, okay." James shrugged and looked out the window. It probably was nothing. Remus wasn't the type of person to just steal a girl from under someone's nose.   
  
"So," said Sirius, "Are you two going to sit here in this awkward silence like a married couple, or are we going to plan our next lot of Full Moon antics?"

* * *

A/N: Ok, first i wanna give a BIG hug to those of you who reviewed! They are much appreciated!

I hope everyone else is enjoying it too.

And those of you wondering about Lily and Lupin....

All will be revealed soon....

Once again..... Feel free to review! :o)


	3. A Letter from Home

Seventh Year Changes

Summary: It's that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Not mine. It's JK's, and I am truly envious.

* * *

Chapter 2- Letters from Home 

Lily was exhausted. After a somewhat gruelling day of smiling exceedingly, listening to Amos Diggory's long-winded Quiddich talks, and helping out first years, she had only just managed to eat. Now it was somewhere near midnight, and she was making her room seem more friendly. She had to admit, she liked the large room she had been given for being Head Girl. Sharing the title of head prefect with Amos Diggory, however, was the down side. Sure, Amos was good-looking and friendly, but he was not the most interesting wizard in Hogwarts. His vocabulary consisted mainly of Quiddich related words, meaning Lily avoided conversations with him at all costs. She had nothing against Quiddich, and it was a great feeling when Gryffindor beat Slytherin, but she honestly couldn't see how a person could like a silly sport _that_ much. Besides, there were no females on any of the Quiddich teams, and she genuinely thought that many girls she knew could do a far better job at playing the sport than some of the guys who did. But not wanting to get into her anti-sexism tirade with a guy who probably would just laugh at the fact that she had said "sex," Lily had pulled the usual 'smile and nod' routine, and soon Amos had wandered off, mumbling something about sending a letter to his parents.   
  
She sighed, and continued sticking photographs and posters on the walls around her bed. Overcome with weariness, Lily decided to leave it to the morning. She was too tired even to consider unpacking and instead decided to change into her pyjamas. But she then realised in her exhaustion she had left one of her suitcases in the common room. She mentally kicked herself and hurried along the staircase.  
  
When she reached the common room, however, she was faced with a person who, if it were possible, was more obsessed with Quiddich than Amos Diggory.  
  
"What are you doing still up at midnight?" she asked James Potter, who sat in her favourite spot, on her favourite couch, studying a bit of parchment with his feet resting on a black box.   
  
"Nice to see you too, Evans," he replied, not looking up from the parchment. "How was your summer? Rescue old Snivelly from any uncompromising positions?"  
  
Lily glared at him. James had never got over that afternoon near the lake, and he constantly reminded her of it. "Oh, ha ha," she shot back sarcastically. "You're funny, James, really witty."  
  
He shrugged. "I do my best."   
  
The fact that he still refused to look up from the parchment made Lily all the more infuriated. She swallowed, keeping her anger on a low. "Look, have you seen my suitcase? I think I left it down here."   
  
"Nope, sorry, can't help you."  
  
Lily scowled, looking around the common room. James, apparently finished with the parchment, whispered something and stuffed it into his robes.  
  
"Excuse me?" Lily asked, staring at him. "What did you just say?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Lily glowered. She hated it when people answered 'nothing,' when so obviously they **did** say something. She was about to retort with a good comeback when James got up.  
  
"Well, I'm off to bed," he announced, pushing the box under the couch. He began walking, but stopped right next to Lily. He cocked an eyebrow suggestively and said in a low voice, "Like to join me, Evans?"  
  
Lily had to fight the very strong urge to slap him in the face. She was, after all, Head Girl. She had to restrain herself. Lost for words, Lily felt her face redden. "Oh, shut up, Potter," she mumbled, infuriated.   
  
James walked off, laughing. He left the common room, making his way off to the boys' dormitories.   
  
Lily sighed exasperatedly and continued her search. After what seemed an eternity of searching, which was probably about twenty minutes, she looked under the couches. And noticed the box James had been leaning his feet on all that time was, in fact, her suitcase.   
  
Storming upstairs in a fury, dragging the suitcase behind her, Lily decided that being civil to James Potter this year was not an option.

* * *

The next morning Lily wandered down to breakfast, feeling tired and very resentful that she had to wake up earlier than she would've wished. She found Emily and Alice, much to her chagrin, sitting right next to James Potter and his friends. Emily was talking to Alice Remus in a hushed voice, and when Lily sat down, they immediately stopped.   
  
"Is there some kind of conspiracy going on?" she asked somewhat bitterly as she sat down. "What were you three talking about?"  
  
"Nothing, really, just what subjects we chose, trying to work out how many we'll be in together," said Alice, a little too quickly for Lily's liking.  
  
Lily looked suspiciously at them, but too hungry and tired to argue, began eating her toast and marmalade. She wasn't very chatty, and all morning answered questions with monosyllabic answers.   
  
James leant over and said to her with an enormous grin; "So, Evans, did you end up finding that suitcase of yours?"  
  
Lily opened her mouth, ready to explode, but was interrupted when a brown barn owl came swooping in, landing on her toast. She recognised it as the owl she had sent to her parents with a letter saying she had arrived safely. Two letters were tied to its leg. She undid the letters and offered the plate of ruined toast to the owl, which pecked at it a bit and then flew off in the direction of the owlery.  
  
"That was a fast reply," she muttered to herself, opening one, which was addressed to her in her mother's neat handwriting. "I hope nothing's wrong."  
  
_'Dear Lily,  
  
Thankyou for your lovely letter. I was very pleased to receive it, and hope your seventh year at school is good so far.  
  
I write with some wonderful news!  
  
Your older sister Petunia's wedding to Vernon Dursley has been pushed forward. Vernon's parents have decided to attend a cooking class in France in April, the original month, and the only date on which the wedding is able to be held is December 12th, due to many other commitments our guests have.   
  
Petunia is very happy with the idea of a winter wedding, and I am inclined to agree with her. The snow will be very romantic! I am happy for her, and am sure it will be a lovely occasion.   
  
And there is better news…  
  
I have persuaded Petunia to name you as her maid-of-honour! I have no doubt in my mind that you will be a lovely bridesmaid. She will be writing to you as well, enclosing the formal invitation.   
Back here at home things are very hectic, getting everything organised in time for the wedding. I wish your magic could help us out, especially with finding a vacant church that close to Christmas!  
  
I'll see you soon, at the wedding. Bring a date. I have enclosed a note which you should give to your Headmaster, asking for you (and anyone you wish to bring) to be let off of school for three days that week.  
  
Good luck and study hard. (I know you will!) But most of all enjoy yourself!  
  
Lots of love,  
  
Mum.  
  
P.S. Your father sends his love.'  
_  
Lily exhaled slowly. "Maid of honour?" she mumbled, incredulously staring the words on the paper.   
  
"What?" said Emily, looking from Lily to the letter.  
  
"I will be my sister's maid of honour at her wedding, which has been pushed forward to January," she murmured, still extremely shocked.  
  
"Doesn't your sister hate you?" asked Alice.  
  
"I think loathe is a more appropriate term," said Emily.  
  
Lily nodded. "She despises me."  
  
"Then why are you her maid of honour?"  
  
"Mum convinced her. She hates us arguing, and I think she wanted me to think Petunia loves me like a sister. Mum probably forced Petunia to, with a threat of not paying for the wedding if she said no." She sighed and looked around at her friends. "Also, I have to bring a date."  
  
Emily seemed to brighten. "Really? Who are you thinking of bringing?"   
  
"I have no bloody idea. I could just bring one of you guys, I suppose."  
  
"Lily," said Alice, "You can't bring a friend to a wedding! You have to bring a guy."  
  
"Who on earth should I bring?"

* * *

A/N- GAHHHH! Sorry I took so long to update, beast school is really getting the best of me right now.  
  
But I did update, and my thanks go out to all of you who were nice and patient! 

I live for your reviews, so keep em coming!

:o)


	4. Initials and Tears

* * *

Seventh Year Changes

Summary: It's that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry, and alas, I never will.

Chapter 3- Initials and Tears

* * *

Several days later, James sat in Transfiguration, the last lesson of the day, mindlessly etching Lily's initials into his desk. He was bored. Having a lesson in which there was no practical was extremely tedious, and James really couldn't be bothered writing the essay assigned; 'Discuss the dangers and benefits of transfiguring non-edible objects into food in at least two feet of parchment.' He could easily do it some other time later. Every person in the class had been given different essay topics so Professor McGonagall could make sure they all remembered everything from last year, and Sirius, much to James' envy, was writing his essay about Animagi. James sighed. No-wonder Sirius had already used over three feet's worth of parchment; the experiences they all underwent together each month was more than enough to publish several volumes.   
  
Sighing, James decided the 'E' was a little too shallow, and began engraving the letter deeper. Satisfied with it, he looked up to the front of the class and caught a glimpse of Lily's beautiful thick auburn hair. He felt his stomach do a triple back flip somersault as she absently ran a hand through that hair. Oh, she was just too perfect. She was busily writing, her head bent low over her parchment, no doubt going into great detail over just a silly revision essay. He smiled. But that was what made Lily the wonderful person she was.  
  
"Okay seventh-years," said the strict voice of Professor McGonagall, knocking him out of the trance-like state he was in. "Finish those essays for homework. You are dismissed." The students walked out of the classroom, and McGonagall raised her voice above the increasing chatter and said; "Potter, Evans, a word before you both leave."  
  
James swallowed. He would get at least 3 nights detention for vandalism of school property. And she would probably tell him off in front of Lily, as well, who would no doubt be exceedingly angry. Sirius grinned at him. "See you at lunch, then," he said, and hurried out of the room.  
  
James approached McGonagall's desk, noticing Lily glaring in his direction. "What's up, McG?"  
  
McGonagall frowned at James, but ignored his ridiculous abbreviation of her name. She turned to Lily and said; "Evans, I've had a complaint from the head of Slytherin house, Professor Bashiset regarding a detention you gave a fifth-year last night."  
  
Lily looked taken aback. "Who?"  
  
"Regulus Black."   
  
Lily made a small noise of surprise. James smiled. Merlin, she was cute.  
  
McGonagall continued. "Professor Bashiset remarked it was inter-house rivalry which sparked your detention of him. I sincerely hope this isn't true."  
  
"Inter-house rivalry?!" Lily exclaimed. "He called a first-year a mudblood, and then proceeded to say that I don't deserve to be head girl, and it should've been Narcissa Black because she had the ancestry to do the job! And then he called **me** a mudblood! I'd hardly say the detention wasn't deserved!"   
  
James cast a sideways look at Lily. She seemed to be shaking with anger.  
  
McGonagall frowned again. "I'm inclined to agree with you, Miss Evans. Here at Hogwarts, that sort of behaviour is _unacceptable_." She sighed. "Well, I'll have a chat with Professor Bashiset about it. In fact, I disagree with you. I think a **week's** worth of detentions is deserved on Mr. Black's part. Thankyou, Evans, you may go."  
  
Lily turned and almost ran out of the classroom. James looked at Professor McGonagall, who was shaking her head. "You know, Potter, Lily Evans is probably the brightest student we've had for a while here at Hogwarts. Also, she is the first ever Head Girl who was completely Muggle-Born. But many people simply will not take into account the fact that she is so brilliant. It sickens me, sometimes, how people will just write-off someone because of they aren't pure-blood."  
  
James nodded. He really did like Professor McGonagall; she had her heart in the right place. But she _was_ infamous at handing out detentions. And now came the lecture about his desk vandalism.   
  
She furrowed her brow and said to him; "When are you holding tryouts?"  
  
Totally taken unawares, James blurted out incoherently; "Huh?"  
  
"Quiddich tryouts Potter! I understand our team is down a chaser. We'll need to find a good one, as I have no intention of ending our winning streak!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, sorry Professor. Uh... tryouts are next Tuesday; I'm posting the announcement as soon as I get back to the common room," he quickly made up, hoping sincerely no-one on the team had other arrangements then.  
  
"Jolly good. Make sure whoever you get is first rate; our first match is against Hufflepuff on December 15th, and I'll never be able to look Professor Sprout in the face again if we lose."   
  
James smiled. McGonagall might've seemed like an old strict bat, but inside she was just a Quiddich-obsessed Gryffindor, like himself. "Well, if that's all, Professor, I'll be off. Got a poster to hang on the noticeboard."  
  
"Another thing, Potter," said McGonagall in a low voice.   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You'd better get together with Miss Evans soon, because next time I find out her initials have been engraved on _any_ desk in the school, you **will** receive at least 5 weeks detention." And she walked out, leaving him stunned.

* * *

James made his way to the common room, chuckling to himself about Professor McGonagall. When he entered it, he found it completely deserted, save for one person. A familiar, red-headed, gorgeous person.   
  
A familiar, red-headed, gorgeous, **crying** person.   
  
He stopped in his tracks. She was sitting on a couch, her head in her hands. Gut-wrenching sobs emanated from her.   
  
In all the years he had known Lily Evans, James had never seen her cry.   
  
And the sight of it was devastating. She looked so very fragile, so vulnerable. He was used to her looking her usual strong and determined self, not this poor, crying mess sitting alone in the common room.   
  
She must've heard him enter, because she looked up out of her hands and at him. "Go ahead. Laugh," she spat out at him. "_Poor Evans is crying because the big bad professor complained_."  
  
James didn't reply. He sighed and sat down next to her on the couch. She turned away from him; she was trying to cease crying, but she looked as though she couldn't. James felt very awkward. He had never had to comfort a crying girl before. "Listen," he said, uncomfortably patting her arm. He stopped that, however, when he received a very icy glare from her. "Are you upset because Bashiset is just being his usual moronic, big-headed, anti-Muggle-born self?"  
  
Lily mumbled a 'yes' out.   
  
James nodded. "Because that's just what he is. A moronic, big-headed arse hole. And besides, he only teaches _divination_. A subject barely anyone considers to be important. And you don't even take divination. So you don't have to cross paths with him very often, do you?"  
  
Lily sniffed. "I suppose not," she said shortly.  
  
James could tell that she was not in the mood to chat. Especially to him. He sighed. "Evans, you missed what McGonagall said after you left. She said you are brilliant. And when McG has the last word, it is **final**."  
  
She looked as though she was trying to stop herself from smiling. "Er… thanks, Potter." Now people were beginning to walk into the common room.  
  
"You're welcome," he said, offering her a smile. "You know, Evans, it's very distressing to see you cry. I can't stand it. Make sure the rest of the year is happy, because you're much more attractive when you don't cry. Although you still look pretty good with your puffy red eyes. They match your hair."  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. But not as exasperatedly as she normally would. She almost looked as though she wanted to say something else, but she spotted Emily who had entered the common room, and walked over to her.   
  
James spotted Sirius, Remus and Peter who wandered over to him. Remus looked questioningly at James. "What were you just talking to Lily about?"  
  
James decided not to tell them, even though it wasn't much to tell, and said a vague "Oh, nothing much." Remus raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He looked over to his cousin, and exchanged an odd glance. James shrugged it off.  
  
"You missed out on a hilarious trick Sirius pulled on Snape at lunch," squealed Peter. "It was really funny."  
  
Remus looked somewhat remorseful. "It…it _was_ rather mean…" he said, trailing off when Sirius gave him a look both questioning and accusatory.  
  
"What'd you do?" asked James, grinning at Sirius.  
  
"Nothing much. I got bored and levitated a jug of water over his head. He sat up and it splashed all over him. Maybe he'll be inspired to wash that greasy mop he calls hair now."  
  
James laughed. "Sorry I missed it."  
  
Sirius looked at him as if he had just remembered something. "You know what, Prongs?" he said. "The team is down a chaser! We need to hold tryouts!"  
  
James laughed again. "How does next Tuesday sound?"

* * *

A/N- Whoa.... I had major writers block on this chappy.

And nothing much really happened.

I dont like it all that much.

But next chapter will be interesting and things will happen!

AND...

The mysterious 'Last Year' event will be revealed!!

I LOVE REVIEWS, AND I THRIVE ON THEM.

So keep them coming.

Please. :-P


	5. A Flashback and Some Happy Thoughts

* * *

Seventh Year Changes

Summary: It's that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair!

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter is not mine. Unfortunately.

* * *

Chapter 4- A Flashback and some Happy Thoughts.

Lily couldn't sleep. She wanted to; she had far too much to do tomorrow to be tired, but she just couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was the kind, friendly face of James Potter trying to cheer her up. Kind and friendly usually didn't fit in the same sentence as James Potter. He almost seemed a different person. He almost seemed nice.  
  
In all her years of knowing him, she had never considered James to be nice. Arrogant, big-headed and chauvinistic, yes, but never nice. She squeezed her eyes shut. But the image of James' smiling face crept up into her mind's eye again. She had to admit, he wasn't the worst looking male in Hogwarts. In fact, he was rather good-looking. Especially when he was being pleasant.  
  
She had felt so embarrassed crying in front of him, and for such a stupid reason. Only five days having the job of Head Girl and she had managed to stuff up a grand total of 7 times. And a professor complaining about her; well, that had been extremely humiliating, particularly in front of James. So she had run back up to the common room, and had found a letter waiting for her from Petunia.  
  
"To my freak of a sister," it had read.  
  
"I understand our mother has written to you regarding my wedding. And may I just clarify that for you, Lily, it is MY wedding. Something our parents are proud of that is not about you for a change! And something that I have gotten to do first… get married. In fact, I'm pretty sure you haven't even had a boyfriend yet! I can't wait to see you arrive at my wedding with no date. It will be hilarious!  
  
As our mother has forced me to name you as my Maid of Honour, I am sending away for a hideous bridesmaid dress, which no doubt will have the entire church chortling with laughter when they see you.  
  
So I've had to send you the proper invitation, and I want you to remember this letter before you try anything funny. Keep your shoddy witches stuff away from my wedding. Don't you dare try and turn me into a frog or anything. If you do, I swear I will denounce you as any relative of mine."  
  
And that had been it. The proverbial needle that broke the camel's back. As soon as she had finished the letter, her eyes had filled up with enormous tears, and she had thrown the awful bit of paper in the fire and just sat there and sobbed. And then James had come in and been so damn lovely.  
  
Maybe Emily was right. Maybe James was, after all, a decent guy.  
  
But then again, Lily wasn't the best test of character when it came to boys. She sighed, covering her face in her hands. The last time she had made an assumption about a guy… well, that had ended in disaster.  
  
Last Year… sometime before Exams…

_Sixteen year-old Lily was hungry. She decided that something to eat was the best choice of action and wandered down to the common room. There she found Remus Lupin; sitting in an armchair, his face fixed intently in a book, his head nodding off to sleep every minute or so and then prodding up again, determined to remain awake.  
  
She smiled, and took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Goodness Remus, you need some rest. You'll never learn anything if you're asleep half the time!"  
  
Remus' head shot up but he relaxed when he saw who had addressed him. Lily smiled and continued; "Did you want some help? Because I'm fine with staying up and helping you out."  
  
"Oh, no Lily, I can do it-"  
  
"Remus, you were away visiting your mother for the whole unit of work on…" she checked what he was reading out of the enormous book, "televisions."  
  
"But you don't even take Muggle Studies!"  
  
"Remus, my parents are muggles, remember? And what's more, my uncle Jeffery is an electrician, so I know about those things."  
  
"An electrician, isn't that someone who is a…doctor for children?" Remus asked, confused.  
  
Lily laughed. "No! That's a _paedia_trician!"  
  
"Oh. It's all very confusing." He thought for a moment. "What's a podiatrist?"  
  
Lily laughed again, this time more loudly. "That's a foot doctor!"  
  
"Muggles have doctors just for feet?" Remus was now beginning to laugh; his face was plastered with an enormous grin.  
  
"It must sound really stupid to someone who doesn't know anything about muggles."  
  
"Yeah, I have to admit, it really does."  
  
She giggled, smiling her thousand watt smile. "So do you want some help, or not?"  
  
He beamed, holding back a yawn. "That would be great."  
  
Around an hour later, Remus, with lots of help from Lily, had finished his essay; 'Discuss the importance of the invention of the television to Muggles.'  
  
"Pretty good, if you ask me," he noted, failing to suppress probably his six hundredth yawn of the evening. "Thank you so much Lily. I really couldn't have done it without you."  
  
Lily smiled, and said offhandedly, "You're quite good looking when you yawn, Remus."  
  
He looked at her questioningly. "Er… thanks."  
  
Lily felt her cheeks redden and decided it was time for action. "Remus," she said slowly, avoiding his eyes. "Have you ever been kissed?"  
  
Remus swallowed, looking somewhat taken aback. "Er… Why?"  
  
"Just wondering," she said quietly, trying to look at anything but him.  
  
"Well… no, not really," he said uncomfortably, shifting in his seat.  
  
"That's hard to believe," she said, her cheeks growing redder and redder. "You're so nice and cute and charming and polite and well… I've never been kissed either."  
  
He looked very confused. "Oh… okay." A very awkward silence followed for what seemed like an eternity to Lily.  
  
Deciding nothing could be worse than this silence, she took a deep breath and said very quickly; "RemuswouldyoubemyfirstkissandcouldIbeyours?"  
  
Remus looked extremely panicked. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could Lily pressed her lips to his.  
  
He sharply pulled back from her; he had an expression on his face that was a combination of shock and utter bewilderment. "Lily, what are you doing?!"  
  
"Trying to kiss you," she replied in a small voice.  
  
"Um… I never said I wanted that."  
  
"Oh." Lily felt as if her stomach had just turned to lead and fallen several feet down her body. She had been picturing this moment for months now, and this was nothing like she imagined. She couldn't bare the embarrassment; she was blushing so furiously her face now matched her hair. She got up and blurted out in a flush of words that she was going to bed.  
  
"Lily, wait," said Remus before she left. "I should explain."  
  
"It's… it's okay," she said, her voice shaking. "I understand… you don't like me."  
  
"No, Lily, I like you a lot. You're a wonderful person, and a really good friend. I just… like things how they are."  
  
"If you like me that much you'd want to go out with me," she said quickly, staring at the floor. "Or maybe, just maybe, I'm not good enough to be the girlfriend of Remus Lupin. Is it because I'm Muggle-born? Or am I too bossy? Or would it embarrass you that I stand up for losers like Snape?" She had small tears in her eyes, and made a start for the staircase.  
  
"Lily, don't be ridiculous. I meant what I said. I don't want to ruin our friendship."  
  
She sighed, turning back to face him. "Remus, I love our friendship. I really really really like you. Don't you think we would be good together?"  
  
"How long have you felt this way?" he said, ignoring her question.  
  
"Three months," she said, her voice small. "You were so nice and friendly around me; a refreshing change from most of the guys I know. And I thought you liked me back."  
  
Remus offered her a smile. "I just don't get it. We have this great friendship."  
  
"That's not all, is it?" she said, studying his face. "There's something else."  
  
Remus sighed. "Yes, there is. Lily, James adores you. I could never do that to him, never betray him like that."  
  
Lily scoffed. "James Potter? He just pays all this attention to me because I'm the only girl in Hogwarts who refuses to melt when he makes one of his stupid wise-cracks. He wants the title as the 'guy who finally got Lily Evans.' "  
_  
Wait a minute, thought Lily, snapping out of her flashback. _"Lily, James adores you"_ was now ringing in her head. Maybe Remus hadn't been fishing for excuses, as she had always told herself. Maybe James really did adore her.  
  
It was an odd thought. The one male in Hogwarts she really couldn't stand liked her. No, more than liked her; he adored her. And it did explain his behaviour earlier on. Just thinking about it made her stomach do a little flip. She smiled. The idea that James Potter wasn't as much of an arsehole came back to her, this time with a little more reassurance.  
  
And that night, Lily went to sleep with a strange feeling of wanton happiness.

* * *

A/N: Long time, no update!  
  
Guilty face  
  
Sorry. MAJOR writer's block plus oodles of homework equals huge gap between updates. But here it is… and I'm rather proud of it.  
  
So if you like it too, please review. I would love it. And if I get at least ten reviews for this chappie, I'll update within two days of the tenth one.  
  
:-D  
  
Oh, and once again, a BIG HUG to all of you who took the time and did review. I LOVE YOU GUYS.  
  
So review, hey?

P.S- Please?


	6. Quiddich Talks and Shocks

Seventh Year Changes

Summary: It's that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the things in this story JK Rowling (aka GOD) has created.

* * *

Chapter 5- Quiddich Talks and Shocks 

James sat in the Great Hall the next Tuesday, vaguely stirring what remained of his porridge around his bowl. He couldn't really be bothered engaging in Sirius' rant about the Winbourne Wasps versus Puddlmere United game to be played on the upcoming Friday night.

"I mean, if we could maybe sneak out at night under your invisibility cloak, we could Apparate to the Stadium. And I'm sure your dad could pull a few strings and get some tickets for us."

James shook his head. "My dad, despite appearances, is very rule-conscious. I somehow doubt he would condone us sneaking out of school just to watch a Quiddich game."

"But he works for the Ministry, and he's good mates with Hamish MacFarlan! Your father has connections to the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and you would prefer to stay at school than use his connections to the fullest."

"Sirius, you know I don't support either of those teams, anyway. I'm a Montrose Magpies supporter through and through."

Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine! If you don't want to see what is sure to be the finest display of Quiddich skills in you lifetime, I'm not going to stop you."

"Wow," said Remus, grinning across the table. "James Potter has just passed up the chance to see a great game of Quiddich. Has the entire world gone crazy?!"

James shrugged. He was about to reply, but decided not to, as Lily and Emily had just came into the Great Hall and sat next to Alice and Frank, who were, as usual, snogging. His ears caught their conversation, and he listened to it with amusement, as it sounded somewhat like his chat with Sirius earlier on.

"...But Ludo Bagman's back from his injury, Lily! The Wasps have a very good chance!"

"Em, you've known me for seven years, and you above all people should know that I do NOT get excited over a silly Quiddich match!"

"But I need someone to go with me! I have two tickets, and Dumbledore has even given me permission..."

"For the last time, Emily: No! I have so much to do this weekend, and I can't afford to miss precious Friday night homework time."

James noticed that as soon as Emily had said '_I have two tickets_,' Sirius' head had sprung up from his breakfast to look at her. James suppressed a chuckle.

"_You_ have tickets to Friday night's Wasps versus Puddlemere game?"

"Yes," she said, scowling at him. "And why would you want to see them?"

"The Wasps are my favourite team! And the Puddlemere game could very well be a preview of the grand final! I HAVE TO SEE IT!"

"You're a Wasps supporter? Me too. My dad has season tickets, but he's going to Italy for a week, and the tickets are mine. But _you're_ not coming with me. No way."

James chuckled at the look on Sirius' face. He sat down, obviously devastated.

Emily shook her head and rolled her eyes before turning to her cousin. "Hey, Remus," she said, her eyes full of amusement at the glare Sirius began fixing his friend.

"Yeah," Remus said vaguely.

"You wanna come to the game on Friday? Seeing as Lily here is being a stick in the mud, I need someone to come with me, because I'm not going on my own."

Lily pouted, causing James to feel his insides do a little somersault. She was so cute. "I am _not_ a stick in the mud!"

Sirius cleared his throat loudly, his eyebrows raised disbelievingly.

"Oh, shut up," snapped Lily, eyes narrowed. "Emily, I just don't want to go to what will just be a waste of good homework time."

Remus looked at Emily and said; "Sorry Emily, no can do. I have a big assignment I should get a start on. And besides," he said, his voice full of meaning. "Friday is one day away from when _I have to go visit mum at St. Mungo's_, and I probably won't be feeling up to it."

"Oh. Okay," said Emily, frowning. Emily, being Remus' cousin, knew of his condition. Remus tended to tell her quite a bit, and James was pretty sure Emily knew about the things they got up to every month.

Lily, however, didn't know about Remus being a werewolf. She looked at him, puzzled. "Your mum seemed fine at Platform 9 ¾."

Remus looked somewhat taken aback. Normally no one delved into his mother-always-ill story. James, Peter and Sirius were all listening now. James wished he could say something to help out his friend. Remus looked down at his plate and stared hard at the eggs. "She... had a relapse. She was fine in the holidays; I think the trip to France did her some good. But I got an owl today telling me she's ill again."

Lily bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Remus, I didn't mean to sound insensitive-"

"It's okay Lily."

"No, that was an awful thing to say. I should've thought before I spoke. I'm really sorry."

"Lily, _I'm fine_. You really don't have to apologise." And with that Lily looked down at her cereal. James noticed what looked like the beginning of tears in her eyes.

Sirius, meanwhile, had gone back to trying to persuade Emily to let him come to the Quiddich with her, and Peter had decided to ask for advice from Remus about his Herbology essay.

James sighed and tipped his head so Lily could see him. "You okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, you look like you're about to cry."

"I'm not going to cry," she said, sniffing loudly.

"Don't worry about Remus. He's okay."

"I know," she said, still staring at her cereal.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Lily sighed, and turned to him. Her beautiful green eyes were shining, a sure sign she was on the verge of tears. She opened her mouth: "It's just that-"

"PLEASE LET ME COME WITH YOU! I'LL DO ANYTHING!!!" James' almost moment with Lily was interrupted by Sirius' frantic pleading; Lily turned swiftly away from him to look at Sirius and Emily.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"

"Yes! Name something and I'll do it, no complaints."

"Deal." She extended her hand and he shook it. From the way she was smiling, James could tell the request was not going to go over well.

"Now," said Sirius, looking thoroughly excited at the promise of seeing the game. "What is it you want? Homework done?"

"No." To James, Emily's smile now seemed to be very devious.

"Some kind of gift?"

"Nope."

Sirius thought hard. Then, with a look of understanding, he grinned and said "You want to go out with me, don't you?"

Emily burst into a short-lived fit of laughter. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, she said, "You don't give me any credit, do you? I have common sense, I'll have you know."

"Then what _do_ you want?"

"Let me be the house team's chaser this year."

James shot a quick look at Sirius, who swallowed and said slowly, "Er..."

"You promised."

"Well, that's a rather large request. I'm not the captain, that's Jimmy over there. I have no authority on this."

"Fine," said Emily. "No tickets for Sirius Black."

"Well," said Sirius quickly. "I am the vice-captain. You can play as chaser at the Hufflepuff game, and if you amaze us all, well, you can keep the position." James kicked him under the table.

"Okay," Emily said brightly, her attention going again to her breakfast.

James turned to Sirius. "What did you just do?" he said, glaring at his best friend.

"Er... I've possibly put Gryffindor's Quiddich team into hideous, irreversible jeopardy for the sake of a ticket to a game?"

"Exactly."

"Well, if we lose against Hufflepuff, we can always make it up in other games..." said Sirius, seeming as though he was trying very hard to look guilty.

"If we _do_ lose," said James, his voice curt. "We will not only need a new Chaser, but also a new Beater."

Sirius didn't miss James' reference to kicking him off the team. "Oh. Okay."

The rest of breakfast was eaten in an awkward silence, only broken by Snape falling over his robes when they were all making their way out of the Great Hall.

Sirius and James laughed loudly, yelling out some very corny jokes at him;

"Have a nice trip, Snivellus?"

"I'll see you next fall!"

Thus ending any trace of awkwardness between the two.

* * *

Lily, Emily and Alice sat in the common room later on that night. They were giggling about the ease of getting Emily onto the Quiddich team. 

"...all I have to do is endure watching the Wasps game with Sirius Black."

"And play well at the Hufflepuff game," Alice added.

"Well," said Lily, grinning. "I think there's a very good chance of that!"

Emily laughed. She looked as though she was over the moon. "So Lily, do you have a date for your sister's wedding yet?"

"No," said Lily. She was very stressed about the fact that Petunia's wedding was fast approaching and she still didn't have a date.

"Any ideas?"

"Well," said Lily slowly. "I was thinking of inviting Remus-"

Emily cut her off. "Don't tell me you're still in love with my cousin?"

Lily shook her head. "No. I'm over him." And for the first time in almost a year, she genuinely felt it was true. At breakfast she had felt awful about the mother incident, and all the emotions regarding the matter had come out at once. And she was just about to open up to none other than James Potter. She sighed, mentally shaking herself. "I just needed someone to slap me in the face and tell me to stop deluding myself. And that honour went to Petunia. As much as I hate her right now for writing that letter, I have to admit it made me reassess certain things. And the fact that my friendship with Remus is great and I don't need anything more from him is exactly what I needed to realise."

"Then why did you want to bring him to the wedding with you?" asked Alice.

"Well, I don't actually have someone I would like to take on a romantic basis, so I thought maybe I could just take Remus. As a friend."

Emily smiled thoughtfully. "Well, that _would_ be the easy way out. But I happen to know that you always like a good challenge. And finding someone worthy _is_ very challenging."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sure. Anything you say, Emily," she said sarcastically. "Do you have any ideas?"

Emily looked somewhat mischievous and smiled again. "Well... let's just say... don't be surprised if tonight the answer suddenly _flies_ into your head."

Lily gave her an odd look, but before she could say anything Alice had begun talking about the latest adorable thing Frank had done for her.

* * *

Later that evening Lily was changed into her pyjamas and reading in bed when a tapping disturbed her from her book. A brown barn owl was pecking at her window. She opened the window and let it in. It looked like a school owl. 

She pulled the letter off its leg and offered it her glass of water by her bedside. It began drinking, and Lily looked at the letter.

It was addressed to her in her mother's handwriting. She frowned, and opened it.

"Dear Lily," it read.

"How overjoyed we were to hear from you. Your news has thrilled us back at home!"

Lily frowned again. What news?

"Here everyone is already beginning to go a little crazy because of Petunia's upcoming nuptials. She was just as surprised as your father and I were to learn that you have a boyfriend!"

Lily stared at the writing. Boyfriend? It had to be wrong. It must've been some kind of prank her mother was pulling. She blinked and read on:

"Of course we cannot wait to meet him, and we will because you promised to take him with you home for the wedding! I just hope he's good enough for our little girl. I'm sure he will be, with your excellent judgement."

What was going on? Lily became more and more shocked at every new piece of information.

"Well, that's about all. I still can't get over the great news. I must be off, for I'm going dress shopping with Petunia today. Your father sends his wishes.

All my love,

Mum."

Lily couldn't believe it. There was a conspiracy going on to make her go crazy. She was so very confused.

She was just about to put the letter away when she noticed a post script scrawled at the end.

"P.S. He has a lovely name. It suits you. I can just say it over and over without getting bored. I'm sure you're doing the same!

James Potter.

It's quite poetic, don't you think?"

And with that Lily's mouth dropped open. She stared at the letter in disbelief.

"James Potter?"

* * *

A/N- Oooooh.... Cliff-hanger! 

:-) Once again, thanks for the wait. There weren't the ten reviews I wanted but oh well. Life goes on.

I've nearly finished this massive thing for school, and when that's done I can devote more of my time to Seventh Year Changes.

Thankyou all so much for reviewing!

Big, wet, sloppy kisses to you.

:-P.

So yes. Review. Please?


	7. An Awkward Invitation

Seventh Year Changes

Summary: It's that elusive seventh year in which Lily and James hooked up. Lupin and his cousin decide to play matchmakers; and new romance ensues, but not just for the famous pair!

Disclaimer: Harry and all his events, locations, chums, enemies and parents, are not mine.

* * *

Chapter 6- An Awkward Invitation

James sat in the Common Room, eating the sandwich he had just been to the kitchen to get. Those house-elves were so accommodating, he could request a roast with potatoes and gravy and they would get it for him, with a smile on their little faces. He knew he really should've been in bed, but couldn't sleep. The sickening thought of Emily White playing Chaser just wouldn't escape his mind. He had had to go to tryouts and tell all the bright-faced hopefuls that the position had been taken. And when he told them who had the position, quite a few had burst out laughing. Damn Sirius and his Wimbourne Wasps!

He glanced at the Marauders' Map, which was positioned on his lap, and noticed a dot labelled 'Lily Evans' was walking fast out of her room and into the Common Room. He quickly whispered "Mischief Managed" to the map and stuffed it into a pocket. He then brushed the crumbs off his shirt and stood up, turning just in time to greet Lily, who was dressed in a pair of pale blue pyjamas. He smiled. "Hello Evans, fancy meeting you here."

Lily looked absolutely horrified to see James. Her face went red and she began staring at her fingernails. "Oh. Hello Potter."

James noticed what looked like a crumpled letter in her right hand. "What's that you've got there?" he asked, interested.

"Um..." she hesitated, looking as if she was going to tell him, but then said very quickly; "Nothing, really." Lily was quickly turning a shade of red to rival the scarlet on a Gryffindor tapestry hanging behind her.

James gave her a disbelieving look. She was a bad liar.

"Look, Potter," she said abruptly, her face now so red it blended in with the tapestry. "I... have to go and discuss something with Emily. In fact, I don't know why I really needed to tell you that. It's not like you're of any importance to me. Not like you're my boyfriend who my parents are dying to meet." She was rambling.

James raised an eyebrow. "What _are_ you going on about, Evans?"

She bit her lip. "Um... I'm going to go now." And she hurried off up the stairs.

James decided that he had to know exactly what she was going on about. He grabbed the invisibility cloak from under the armchair he had been sitting on and threw it on, racing up the stairs to catch up to Lily.

He caught up with her on the landing to the girls' dormitories and followed her in.

James followed Lily until she reached her old dormitory which contained her sleeping friends. He watched curiously as she drew the curtains of a four-poster-bed. Emily White sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Lily?" she said, her voice croaky from tiredness.

"We need to talk." James couldn't help thinking Lily's voice was rather cold. She pulled Emily of bed. "You come with me. Let's go back to the common room. I don't want to wake anyone."

"Can't this wait until morning?"

"No."

And they made their way to the common room, James, who was very confused, following them quietly under the invisibility cloak.

When they reached the common room, Emily turned to face Lily, and said; "What is it Lily, is something wrong?"

Lily folded her arms and sniffed. "Wrong? Wrong? No, **nothing's** **wrong**, except for _this_." She held out her hand and revealed the letter James had noticed earlier.

"Wha-" she failed to suppress a yawn. "What's that?"

Lily swallowed. "Don't you _dare_ play dumb with me, Emily." She handed the letter to her friend, who stared at it blankly.

"Lily, I can't understand this without my reading glasses."

Lily gave an exasperated sigh, and pulled it out of Emily's grasp. "I'll read it out for you then." And she began to read out the letter.

When she had finished, Emily had an odd expression on her face. She looked pensive. James, however, had nearly fainted underneath the cloak upon hearing the letter's conclusion. He had to grab onto an armchair to prevent himself from falling over. He was looking back and forth between the blonde and the redhead. He really couldn't begin to comprehend the letter Lily had just read out. When her mother had been going on about Lily's 'boyfriend' he had been insanely jealous, but when Lily had reached the end of the letter, he had thought he hadn't listened properly. Could it be true? Did

Lily was glaring at her friend. "This evening you said to me that the answer for a date to Petunia's wedding would fly into my head. And you put specific emphasis on the word fly, as if you knew it would _literally fly _into my bedroom in the form of a letter from my mother. _What_ did you have to do with this?"

Emily swallowed. "It was... a joke."

Lily let out her adorable sound of disbelief. "A joke? Do you actually expect me to believe you?"

"We were doing those handwriting imitators in Charms, remember? And you and I switched handwriting with each other, and we had to write a letter to someone who would be able to pick forgery, and if we got a positive response, we would have no trouble in the N.E.W.Ts on them."

James could remember handwriting imitators; they were only a few days ago. You had to have permission of the person whose handwriting you were imitating and then it would work. He had found no real use for it, as the only handwriting that would come into use would be handwriting for which no permission had been given.

Lily looked sceptical. "So you decided to tell my family that I was going out with James Potter?"

"As I said before, it was a joke. I thought you would think it was funny. And I was going to tell you about it but... it passed my mind."

Lily's glare increased. "It _passed your mind_?"

"Well, then we had to go to Transfiguration after Charms, which we weren't allowed to speak in because we had to do those essays, and then McGonagall kept you back, and then when I got into the common room you were sitting with James, looking rather... _intimate_. So my mind went haywire, and I was wondering why the hell two people who hate each other were sitting having a deep discussion-"

Lily cut her off. "We don't hate each other."

Emily stared at her. So did James. Emily's mouth dropped opened. "What?"

"He doesn't _hate_ _me_. At least I don't think so. He's been rather...sweet to me so far this year."

Emily voiced the question which was darting through James' mind. "And you? You don't hate him anymore?"

"I..." she paused, looking down. She looked as though she was searching desperately for what to say. "I... **don't** have any feelings for James Potter." Maybe it was just him, but from the way she said it, James couldn't help thinking she was trying to convince _herself_ more than anyone else.

"...But you don't hate him anymore?"

"Look, Emily. This is beside the point. I still don't believe you forgot to tell me about your 'joke'. You had almost a week!"

Emily looked down. "Well, you can believe me or you don't have to. But I _am_ telling the truth. And our friendship is too good to destroy over a stupid misunderstanding like this."

Lily sighed, and plonked herself into a chair. "What should I do Emily? I can't say it was a joke, my parents will be devastated. You heard how excited they were to find out I finally got a boyfriend. I think they were beginning to think I prefer girls and you were my secret lover or something."

Emily laughed. "Why don't you just turn up and say you two broke up or he couldn't make it or something."

"Because Petunia's heard. And she won't believe me and I couldn't bare that cow spending the entire day gloating, not because she's gotten married, but because I didn't bring the boyfriend I said I would."

Emily sighed. "Look Lily, I'm really sorry. I didn't think it would cause this much trouble."

"I know. I know you're sorry."

"So what are you going to do?"

Lily swallowed. "I guess I'll have to do the inevitable. Ask James Potter to my sister's wedding."

And James decided that was a great place to leave Emily and Lily's conversation, making his way up the dormitories with a feeling of absolute unbridled happiness welling in his belly.

* * *

Very early next morning Lily got dressed just as the sun was rising and decided to go for a walk by the lake to think. She pulled on her shoes and made her way out of Hogwarts, and to the lake, where she found none other than James Potter. He was standing by the lake, skimming stones across its surface.

Just as Lily began considering running back to Gryffindor tower, he turned around and spotted her, greeting her with a warm smile. "We really have to stop meeting like this."

"It's not my fault. You just keep showing up whenever I want to be alone," she returned, her voice wavering slightly. She felt colour rush to her cheeks when he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Well, it's not _my_ fault, I just keep happening to bump into you, and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing."

"How do you explain it then?" she asked, wishing she new how to apparate properly, so she could get back to a populated area of Hogwarts, one where she wouldn't have to be alone with James Potter, searching for some form of conversation to prevent herself from blurting out that she needed him to go to her sister's wedding with her.

"Fate," said James smoothly. "It's the only explanation. Some distant force desperately wants us to keep bumping into each other."

She didn't know whether that was supposed to be a joke, or whether he was serious. She swallowed and decided to change the subject. "It looks like it's going to be a nice day today." _Yes, that's the way_, she thought. _When all else fails, revert conversation to the weather. That way nothing awkward can occur._

He nodded. "Great day for Quiddich."

Lily frowned. When trying to avoid awkward conversations, girls look to the weather for help and boys... boys talk about sport. Her father constantly turned the conversation to football when it went stale. Not that herself, her mother or her sister could add anything to a conversation about the offside rule. She knew her father had always secretly wanted a boy so he could talk about sport. She remembered the look of disappointment in his face when he had asked Vernon which team he supported and received the reply of "Football is a stupid sport. I prefer a sensible game of golf." The thought jumped into Lily's head that her father would probably love James. She wondered briefly how James _would_ act around her family if she were to introduce them.

She swallowed. She had to do it. And now would be the best time to do it, as no-one else was around, and she wouldn't be as embarrassed as if the entire Gryffindor common room were watching her.

"Er..." she said, feeling her face turn a vivid red. "James?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Um... My sister is getting married soon, and I have to find a date."

"Do you now?" he had an odd look of amusement on his face. "And what has that got to do with me?"

"Well... I think you'll find this rather funny actually, because it's something you'd probably find amusing....and I think-"

"Evans?"

"Yes?" she squeaked.

"Spit it out."

"Emily sent my family a letter saying you are my boyfriend and now you have to come to my sister's wedding with me." She finished in a rush, her face burning from embarrassment. She was staring at her feet. Lily looked up and found James beaming down at her, as if she were something cute and fluffy. He didn't reply. She bit her lip. "Please?"

"I don't know..."

Lily was so embarrassed she missed his sarcasm.

"Oh... It'll be only a couple of days away from school."

He laughed. "Of course I will, Evans," he said, grinning at her.

* * *

A/N- Okay... long time I know.

Writer's block sucks, hey?

Well... once again

BIG HUGGIES AND KISSES TO YOU ALL WHO REVIEWED.

Keep up the good work.

I'll update soon, I promise.

As in this week.

So thankyou all.

And I hope you enjoyed this. It was a long time in the making...

:-D


	8. Friendly Chatter and First Names

It was Saturday morning, and the great hall was abuzz with chatter concerning all sorts of things. What it wasn't abuzz with, although, was Lily's guest to Petunia's wedding. Lily had made James swear not to tell anyone, except his closest friends about their 'date' later on in the year. But that didn't stop him from grinning ecstatically every time he saw her or raising his eyebrows provocatively. Even several days after the events of that hideously embarrassing morning, Lily would still break into a vibrant blush or incoherent babble if anyone so much as mentioned her sister's wedding.

Lily was sitting at breakfast, poking her breakfast around the plate. She wasn't hungry, and bacon and eggs were the last things on her mind. She sighed as someone came to sit next to her. Perhaps it was Emily, whom she hadn't seen since Friday afternoon, when she had set off to that Quiddich match with oodles of black and yellow paraphernalia and Sirius Black in tow. Lily turned around. It wasn't Emily.

"Good morning, Evans."

Her face turned a vivid red, as it had been doing quite often recently. "Hello Potter."

"Have you seen Sirius?" he asked, digging into a piece of toast with marmalade. "Wonder how the match went."

"No, I haven't seen him," she muttered, taking a large gulp of her orange juice. "And I haven't seen Emily either, for that matter."

James cocked his head playfully. "Really?" He smiled thoughtfully. "Well, Sirius didn't come into the dormitories last night. Maybe something _bloomed_ between the two of them at the Quiddich."

Lily frowned. No. She couldn't even bring herself to imagine _that_ happening. Emily hated Sirius Black more than any of the other purebloods at school, even Narcissa and Bellatrix. Lily didn't know exactly why Emily had a personal vendetta against the purebloods, and every time she questioned it, Emily would simply brush it off like it was nothing. But Lily saw the little flash of pain and anger in her best friend's eyes every time she brought it up. She shook her head. "No. She despises him."

"Then why did she take him to the Quiddich?"

"She wanted a spot on the team, didn't she?"

"Well… I'm not so sure that was the real answer. If you really and truly despise someone, you'd _never_ take that person somewhere with you, no matter what the reason. Although I could be wrong. What do you reckon?" He raised an eyebrow at Lily and stared into her eyes.

He was not, in any way referring to Emily and Sirius right now, and she could tell. He was talking about her and him. She would've answered with a snappy reply usually, but really didn't know what to say. "Er… I don't know," she said quickly, swallowing and tearing her gaze away from his penetrating stare. She decided to change the subject back to Emily and Sirius. "Quiddich matches can go for months, right? Maybe it's not over yet."

"Oh, it's over all right. Can't you hear everyone chatting about how good it was? Sounds like a real thriller."

"But what if-" but she was interrupted by an owl flying down and dropping her day's copy of the _Daily Prophet _on the table. She offered the owl her eggs and bacon, which it sniffed, made an unsatisfactory noise at and flew off. Picking the paper up, she flicked to the sports section, which proclaimed; _'Wasps win in white knuckle thriller!'_

"Well," she said, shrugging, "I guess they'll be happy today."

James frowned in response. He was looking at the front page, a bleak expression pasted over his usual jubilant face.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"More attacks," he said grimly. Lily turned the newspaper around and almost jumped at the photograph on the front. The Dark Mark, as it had become known, was hanging menacingly over a small village. '_Mystery killers attack again_,' stated the headline.

Lily exhaled slowly. She had heard about the ever-increasing attacks on various witches and wizards, and even some muggles over the holidays, but didn't think people were actually getting _killed_.

James had an odd expression on his face. "Dad's going to be frantic."

"Why?" asked Lily, who had begun staring at the photograph again.

"He's an Auror."

Lily smiled appreciatively. "Oh. Well that's…interesting. It must be thrilling having a father with such an exciting job. My father runs a gardening store."

James gave her a look of vague interest before staring down at his breakfast. "Does he expect you to go into the gardening business?"

"No," replied Lily.

"Well, as a Potter, I am _expected_ to go into the family business: catching dark wizards. Generations of the Potter men have been Aurors; it goes back more than 15 generations. I don't have any siblings, so it's left to me to honour the family tradition."

"So you're a pureblood?" asked Lily, trying to sound nonchalant. In truth, she was rather interested, though she didn't understand why, about James' family.

"I guess so, but my family isn't obsessive about it like the Malfoys or Sirius's family. The grandparents on my mother's side were both Muggle-Born, and Dad didn't get any rubbish about keeping the blood 'pure' from his folks. The only tradition we must uphold is the strong tradition of being Aurors."

Lily noticed James seemed rather bitter. "Don't you want to be an Auror?"

James gave her a disbelieving look. "Could you really picture _me_ fighting dark forces?"

"Well… yes, actually," she admitted, smiling at him. "You **are** the top of the class in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

James grinned in return, his bright hazel eyes lighting up, and Lily felt her stomach do the tiniest of back flips. She ignored it, feeling her face turn a shade redder. "What do you want to do, then?"

"Professional Quiddich is the go for me. James Potter, captain of the English Quiddich side, leading his faithful team into battle, emerging victorious at every challenge."

"Obviously you would be good at **that**. You are the best in the house team, if not the entire school."

"Do you notice me at matches?" he asked, his grin increasing.

Lily stared at her fingernails, feeling his smile wash over her. "Well… um….I just hear things from Emily."

"Speaking of Emily, that friend of yours is actually quite a talented Quiddich player. She came to training on Thursday, and was pretty good. Of course, she was nothing to my standard, but showed a talent which, if developed, could bloom."

Lily smiled. "She _is_ good at Quiddich."

"Yes. She is."

An awkward silence fell over the pair. James took a bite of his toast. Lily began reading a small article in the Daily Prophet.

James looked up at her. "What about you? What do you see yourself doing after school?"

Lily looked up at him from the article. "I have absolutely no idea," she answered truthfully. "I don't know. I like working with people. Maybe a teacher? Or working for the Ministry?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure whatever you do, you'll outshine everyone else."

Lily felt the deep blush return to her features. She realised she hadn't said anything in return, so she giggled. She **giggled**? In an obscure way, it almost seemed as if she and James were… flirting?! She mumbled out a small 'thanks' and resolved to stare at her fingernails once again.

James smiled warmly at her. He opened his mouth, and paused. "Um… Lily?"

She felt her stomach flip back again. With a thud of awareness, she realised he was referring to her, finally, by her first name. And it sounded so… sweet. She smiled.

Thinking she probably should return the favour, she said smoothly; "Yes, James?"

"Um... I was thinking-"

"LILY!"

Lily turned around in a flash. A very flushed and startled looking Alice was running up to the pair. She was panting with exhaustion. "Oh. My. Gosh."

"What is it?" asked Lily, genuinely concerned.

"You won't believe it. _I_ can't believe it. It's not possible."

"What's not possible?" asked James, his brow furrowed.

"Emily… Emily and… SIRIUS BLACK!"

James and Lily both looked at each other, stunned. "What?!"

"Come with me," said Alice, grabbing Lily and pulling her out of her chair. Lily gave James a look of confusion, and he followed her. Alice led them out of the great hall and up the stairs, heading for the Gryffindor common room.

"Alice, slow down. What is going on?!" asked Lily, exasperated, when they reached the Fat Lady.

"You'll see."

Inside the common room, Lily saw the situation with her own eyes. It was an odd one. Professor McGonagall stood; hair still in curlers, arms folded, towering over an odd looking Emily and Sirius, who were sitting on the sofa, still dressed in Wasps paraphernalia. They both seemed to look somewhat guilty.

Professor McGonagall didn't seem to have noticed the entry of Alice, Lily and James. "…I've had it up to here with your late night antics, Black!" she barked.

"But Professor," said Emily, looking somewhat drained. "Nothing happened!"

"Well, I'm sick of these things happening. Never again will a boy be found in any girls' dormitories. I will speak to Professor Flitwick about it and ask him to enforce a gender-controlling charm at the entrance. And as for you two..."

"Look, Ma'am," said Sirius, glancing at Emily with the oddest expression Lily had ever seen. "It's not Emily's fault. Don't blame her. It's my entire fault."

Lily looked at her best friend. Had Sirius Black just defended her? But Lily couldn't get her attention, however, because Emily was beaming, yes, _beaming_ at Sirius.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "You two are very lucky I don't have the time to personally write to your parents and inform them of this…. incident. You will both spend much of your free time over the next two weeks in detention. And I repeat… this is NEVER to happen again."

She turned, and finally noticed Lily, James and Alice. "Well, I hope you three can talk some sense into your friends. Please inform them that this is a school, not a brothel!"

James and Lily exchanged a look. When Professor McGonagall had left, Lily and James both stared at their respective best friends and said loudly; "What the bloody hell is going on?!"

Sirius looked up at James and Lily. "Nothing," he said nonchalantly, getting up and smiling at Emily. He then walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, whistling a simple tune as he went.

James glanced oddly at Lily, as if to say; 'I'll see if I can get anything out of him,' and followed his best friend up the stairs.

As soon as James had left, Lily and Alice raced over to their friend and sat on the couch next to her. Alice looked at her, and said; "Em, what's going on? You can tell us."

Emily laughed shortly, glancing at the floor. "Sirius told you. Nothing happened!"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Sirius, hey? So you two are no longer on last-names only terms?" Lily couldn't help but marvel at how this situation seemed to mirror her own with James.

"Well… We're just being more civilised to each other, that's all."

Alice was looking at Emily with a slightly amused face. "And does the fact that I found you both in bed together this morning have anything to do with this?"

Lily stared in disbelief at her best friend. "What?!"

Emily sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's not like **that**. As Alice knows very well, we were both _fully dressed_, _awake_ and sitting _on_ the covers, not under them. McGonagall came in for some reason and saw us there. And she went nuts, and took it the wrong way, just like Alice here."

"Well why don't you tell us exactly what happened, then," suggested Alice.

Emily stared at the floor. "Oh, I may as well. Sirius and I were at the Quiddich together, and it was a really great game, as you probably know. The Wasps' Keeper was knocked out in the first five minutes of the game by a nasty piece of play from the Puddlemere Beaters. So we were one hundred-and-fifty points down at about midnight. It was a long game," she added, noticing Lily's look of amazement at how long it went. "And then, just as the Puddlemere Seeker seemed to have spotted the snitch, our Chaser grabbed the Quaffle and scored, making us only 140 points down, and then, in a moment of pure genius, Ludo Bagman smacked a bludger at Puddlemere's seeker, and our seeker swooped in on the snitch and we won! By ten points!"

Alice smiled. "Sounds exiting. Frank will be disappointed, he put money on Puddlemere."

Lily shook her head. She couldn't care less about the Quiddich game. "But what happened with Sirius?!"

"If you let me continue, I'll tell you," said Emily, giving Lily a slightly bizarre look. "Well… we were really excited… and then we went out with all the other fans to this pub where we had a long discussion."

"AND?!"

"Well… I think the talk helped me realise that not all purebloods are horrible, and in fact Sirius is really nice." She got up, looking as though _that_ were a satisfactory answer.

Lily pushed her friend onto the sofa. "But why were you two in bed together?"

"No reason. We came back, and our conversation continued, and then we ended up chatting _on top of my covers_." She got up again. "I have to have a shower and get ready. We have Quiddich training today." She walked to the girls dormitories before Lily or Alice could question her any more.

Lily noticed that James had re-entered the common room. He was shaking his head. "I couldn't get anything out of Sirius."

"Well, we didn't get much out of Emily, either," said Lily. Then she remembered something. "Er… what were you going to ask me before Alice interrupted?"

He smiled. "Oh, just that I reckon we should start calling each other by our first names. Just to get used to it for when I meet your parents."

She blushed. Alice was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Lily looked at her fingernails, smiling. "Um… sure. It's a good idea. Great."

James smiled at her and wiggled his eyebrows, causing her blush to deepen. "Well… I'm off to get ready for training. See you later… Lily."


	9. A Telling Train Trip

Chapter 8- A Telling Train Trip

Disclaimer: Don't sue me. I don't own HP.

-

"Emily, have you seen my other sock?" asked Lily frantically, as she packed her suitcase.

"Yes, it's in there already."

"Are you sure!"

"Of course I'm sure."

Lily pulled a woolly jumper out of her suitcase, and looked into it. A red sock stared up at her. She sighed. What was wrong with her? It was finally the day on which Lily and James were to set off to London to attend Petunia's wedding. Lily was particularly nervous, as not only did she have to pretend to be nice to her sister, she had to pretend to be head over heels with James.

She mentally shook herself and looked up at her friend. "Emily, what am I going to do at this wedding?"

"You're going to have a great time. Forget about school and anything else that might worry you and enjoy the time you have with your parents," said Emily matter-of-factly.

Lily put the woolly jumper back in her suitcase, closed it and sat on it. "I'm dreading pretending to be James's girlfriend. I don't know how I'm going to act around him."

Emily smiled at her friend. "You could always just copy how Alice acts around Frank."

Lily laughed. "Maybe. But then I'd spend the entire day snogging him!"

Lily heard Emily mutter under her breath; "That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing," but ignored it.

In the boys' dormitories, something similar was going on.

"Sirius, have you seen my blue socks?" asked James exasperatedly.

"You already packed them."

"Are you sure?"

"Not really. But don't worry about the socks."

James sighed and sat on his bed. "Why am I so nervous?"

"Probably because of the fact that you're going to spend this whole weekend pretending to be the boyfriend of the girl of your dreams."

"Yeah, that might be it." He looked at his best friend. "How am I supposed to act, Padfoot? I don't want to be too… boyfriendy, because Lily will go nuts at me… but I don't want to be too normal, because then she'll be humiliated by her sister."

"You know, _I_ don't think she'll flip out if you act boyfriendy."

"Why not?"

"Well, Emily reckons Lily has taken quite a liking to you."

"And _I_ reckon you've taken quite a liking to Emily."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Didn't you just hear me? I have reason to believe Lily likes you!"

James shook his head. "Oh, I don't know what to do."

"Be yourself; that's always a good idea. Have fun, and knock her socks off."

"Unfortunate choice of phrase, mate, considering what I'm looking for," laughed James.

* * *

James couldn't help but think how weird it was to be sitting on the Hogwarts express when no other students were on it. Scattered around the compartments were an odd assortment of witches and wizards making their way from Hogsmeade to London. He would've preferred to go by floo powder, but Lily had told him her sister didn't think much of magic (in her own words: "Petunia would go completely crazy if we turned up via the fireplace"), so they had thought it best to go by train. Lily's parents would be meeting them at Kings Cross.

James felt odd, sitting alone in a compartment with Lily, who was generally avoiding his eyes. She was reading a Muggle book which, she had mumbled, she had read twelve times and was her favourite; something called _Pride and Prejudice_. He decided to start a conversation with her, smiling as he asked; "What's the book about?"

She looked up from it. "Well… there's this girl Elizabeth, who lives in a house in the countryside with her parents and her four sisters. She's very practical and smart and pretty. And then she meets Mr. Darcy, who is handsome and rich, but arrogant and a little mean to her. And we all think that they hate each other… but it turns out that Darcy actually is in love with her, and he's quite a nice person. And then Elizabeth ends up falling for him and they live happily ever after."

James couldn't help thinking that Lily's voice sounded absolutely beautiful. And the way her eyes brightened because she was talking about something she really loved… well, his stomach could've won one of those Muggle gold medal things for gymnastics. He swallowed. "Sounds like a great story."

She smiled. "It is."

James decided to ask Lily for something he suddenly longed for her to do for him. He looked down. "Would you…" he paused. It was silly, and he didn't know how she would react. "Would you please… read it to me?"

She smiled again, looking vaguely amused. James immediately regretted asking her. He looked at his hands. "You don't have to… In fact I could do some homework or something instead and you wouldn't have to-"

"I'd love to." And it was as simple as that.

* * *

Lily couldn't believe she was sitting in a train reading to James Potter her favourite book of all time. It was surreal. But she couldn't resist his incredibly cute request. It was quite simply adorable; a seventeen year old trouble-maker asking her to read him Jane Austen.

And as she read, the expression on his face was incredibly delightful.

But the more she read, the more she couldn't help herself from thinking how Elizabeth and Darcy's story seemed very similar to her current situation. James could've easily been a magical teenage version of Mr. Darcy –he was good looking, arrogant and hideously bad in social situations around her- and Lily, with her straight, sensible outlook on life, and her brains, could easily have been the magical teenage Elizabeth Bennet.

But Elizabeth fell for Darcy once she had gotten to know him better.

And Lily was definitely **not** falling for James.

Or was she?

She had to admit he seemed a whole lot less annoying and a whole lot more endearing than before. She didn't feel weird about admitting to herself how cute he was. And they could have a nice, simple conversation without her becoming irritated and entirely frustrated with him.

No. She was not falling for James.

Perhaps they had just grown up. Yes, that was it, she told herself. They had gotten over their teenage irritations and had just developed a more mature and sensible relationship. They could have discussions now. Yes. That must've been it.

At least that was what Lily continued to tell herself throughout the entire train trip.

* * *

A/N- I know it was short, but the next chappie will come VERY soon (as I have written most of it), so don't panic.

You guys are the light of my life, and I'm really sorry I haven't updated any sooner. I guess I'm just slack. Plus I ran out of ideas.

But here's a nice sneak peek of the next chapter:

' "_There was one thing that would make this moment more perfect, Lily thought. "James?" Her voice was a whisper, barely audible._

"_Yeah?" he asked. His voice was equally low._

"_Um… do you think, just for appearance's sake, that we should kiss?" '_

That should keep you satisfied for the next week (in which I WILL UPDATE)

Now go review. Hahaha.


End file.
